BLACK FUNERAL completes "Vukolak"

Legendary Houston, TX black metal band Black Funeral have completed their latest, "Vukolak," to be unleashed on the world in early 2010. Probably best known for their late-1990s work, this band explore different occult traditions throughout history but in their own sinister voice.

I've come to appreciate this band for their introverted, bizarre and infective sound. Like a good virus, they don't appear to be something you'd like or even notice until you appreciate what they're doing. Best releases so far are "Vampyr" and "Az-I-Dahak" but "Vukolak" has been in planning for some time and may be a major step forward in sound and content.

I'll be interested to hear it, but they make it sound like a "return to our roots" project and that can be ominous. However, their MySpace page has a track called "Ripping through the Aura" posted that I believe is from "Vukolak" and it has promise.

I've enjoyed everything from the Sorath days to "Az-I-Dahak" but felt "Ordog" and "Waters of Weeping" were a real step back. Personally, I've been wanting them to explore the industrialized direction they began on "Az-I-Dahak" more deeply, which "Abomination Storm" sounds like it will do. The industrial/black direction is one I have long felt would bear fruit, as Mysticum demonstrated ages ago, but no one has really taken a stab at it.

Most Black Funeral is worthy of concentrated listens, even if they never made a really classic album. I am surprised by people's preference for "Az-I-Dahak", because to me that was the gimmick-sounding one despite the good concept. "Írdog" was just brutal and beautiful and "Waters of Weeping" was even reminiscent of Godflesh at its most horrific.

Agreed on the industrial avantgarde possibilities. I've liked compositions by Diabolicum, Bloodline, Aborym and Havoc Unit but they all are a bit incomplete in the end, like they just created a rather traditional black metal song but produced it using EBM, techno and electro-industrial sounds.

This is Marchozelos from Black Funeral. I play guitars, bass, drums and some programming. The album "vukolak" is in some sense based on my interest in albums/demo's such as "Horns of the Goat", "Journeys into Horizons Lost' , "Of Spells of Darkness and Death" and "Vampyr, throne of the Beast" as well as "moon of characith". I also write music for the band Grauen Pestanz which is completely black ambient / death industrial in the vein of Atrax Morgue, Archon Satani, MZ 412 as well as Aghast.

The concept of "Vukolak" deals with eastern European folklore surrounding the Vampiric spirit as well as the concepts dealt within the Black Order of the Dragon which I am fortunate to be a part of. The style is a mix of old Behemoth (Pagan Vastlands sans synth), old Absu, Destruction (some have lead riffs similar to Bestial Invasion but in a Nordic type of paradigm), the spiritual concept and the sound of Nastrond, and the rawness of Graveland's first demo's and albums minus the melodicism. The concept is completely based on real occult rituals, some may enjoy this album, whereas others may not which is ok. Whatever happens, I hope that we touch some people spiritually which is all I care for in the end.

I would like to create music and art that affects the subconscious of man and deals with the hidden potential of him/her with respect to these concepts.

The album "Abomination Storm" deals with the same concepts but utilizing the Goetia with the technological warfare that the world is heading towards, never forgetting the mediaeval atmosphere's within the EBM/Power Noise similar to Feindflug, Suicide Commando, Yelworc, Leaether Strip and others but with real guitar riffs that transcend that style into the rawness of the album "Vukolak".

The hymn "NOX" on the myspace page actually is from that album "Abomination Storm" and I attempted with that album to merge true harsh Terror EBM like Psyclon 9 and other bands that I genuinely have an infinity to (as well as Akhtya) into the power and expressionism that is Black Funeral.

Future albums most likely will be based off the power that Vampyr Throne of the Beast had but with an evolutionary step forward in musicianship as well as spirituality.

The moment I became involved with the band was based off of my actions within the Black Order of the Dragon and the Order of Phosphorus as well as my magickal practice in Chaos Magick influenced by Austin Osman Spare, Kenneth Grant, etc...

I hope this helps define a little more what we are involved with, and in general as a new member of the A.N.U.S. forums I hope to meet each of you and learn from others of their interests both within the metal world as well as philosophically. There's a lot to be said for humility, which I strive for even though I am no where near at the level I wish to be. There's always room for perfection and learning from others who are clearly more knowledgable is the best way.